Is king salmon fishing open on the Kenai River?

Fishing for all species is open year-round unless otherwise noted below. Kenai River—from its mouth upstream to 300 yards below Slikok Creek: January 1–June 30: 1 per day, 1 in possession, must be less than 34 inches in length.

What happened to the king salmon in Alaska?

The Kenai River will close entirely to king salmon fishing starting Wednesday. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced the closure Monday afternoon after nearly three weeks of watching the late-run king salmon fail to return to the Kenai River in large enough numbers.

Where is the best king salmon fishing in Alaska?

Kenai River
1. Kenai River. The Kenai River sits in south central Alaska in the state’s Kenai Peninsula. The river is quite arguably the state’s most popular sport fishing destination for Chinook (also known as King) salmon.

What kind of salmon are in the Kenai River?

Kenai River fisheries for king, sockeye and coho salmon are the largest freshwater sport fisheries for these species in Alaska. Resident species such as rainbow trout, Dolly Varden/Arctic char, Arctic grayling, lake trout and steelhead trout also provide popular fishing opportunity in lakes and flowing waters.

Why are the king salmon disappearing?

Scientists are concerned that ocean and climatic conditions these last few years, including warmer water temperatures and poor snowpack in the American West, have decimated juvenile king salmon populations and are now worried about the viability of the population.

Why is there no salmon fishing in Alaska?

That’s the question hanging over everyone’s head.” Because the critically low runs of chinook and chum didn’t meet escapement goals, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game prohibited subsistence, commercial and sports fishing on all of the Yukon, leaving nearly 50 communities with basically no salmon.

How do you catch king salmon on the Kenai River?

The methods that we use for Alaska King salmon fishing are back-trolling and back-bouncing. Both of these methods are very effective for catching monster fish and are easy to learn with a guide. King salmon have two different times they enter the Kenai River.

What time of day are salmon most active?

Early morning and late evening are often the best, but some fish will hit well at night, and others during daylight. Generally, the worst time to fish is around noon, during the heat of the day.

How big is the Kenai River King Salmon?

Kenai River king salmon fishing is the most sought after trophy fish in the state. The largest ever recorded and certified by the International Game fish Association was a Kenai River king caught on May 17th of 1985 by Les Anderson using 30 lb test and weighed in at a whopping 97lbs 4 oz.

What kind of fish are in the Kenai River?

King salmon fishing on the Kenai River is slow and water levels are above average. Rainbow trout fishing on the Middle and Upper Kenai River is good. Lower Kenai River sockeye salmon fishing has been fair and should improve as late-run fish continue to enter the river.

When is the Kenai River salmon run in July?

July is the month referred to as king fishing madness. The second run of Kings has arrived and everything is in place to make your fishin trip a real success. Warn weather, lot’s of fishing choices and long summer days that extend your time on the waters. Check our Kenai River salmon run timing chart below for more details.

What’s the best way to catch king salmon in Kenai River?

Back trolling Kwikfish and Spin-n-Glo lures is the most common type of Kenai River king salmon fishing. The setup is nearly identical for each of them with the only difference being the final lure. In each setup a jet diver is added on a slider just before the barrel swivel that connects the braided line to the 3′ monofilament leader.